Oh... those dwarfs

So at 6:30am, dark O'clock, I woke up in a panic and not sure why. I lay staring at the ceiling for half a minute. Then I heard what must have woken me up: an unmistakable rabbit scream. I was froze stiff and in a cold sweat. I was somewhat in a daze and in denial about what I was hearing. I listened as mom slid open the glass door to check on what was going on. I didn't get up, afraid of what I might see. My rabbits always seem to die in a way that is traumatic usually in the middle of the night. Thoughts flashed, "What if it's one of my convention rabbits."

Balancing Number and Breeds

How many breeds is too many? You've seen them at shows: breeders with seven different breeds trying to get three of them on the table. Why do they choose to raise so many different rabbits? When you think about it, how can people do well with half a dozen breeds? When looking at Best in Show winners, how many breeds do they have? In general, I stop taking people seriously after three breeds. With one breed taking many months of work, one cannot raise five without slacking in most areas. But wait, there are many exceptions to this rule.

Finding your breed - If you're lucky, you found your breed early on in your rabbit career. A Jersey Wooly was the first purebred I bought. Almost by accident: Lance had run out of Netherlands and Hollands so I went with my third choice. What a choice! But in many cases, breeders need to date at least a few breeds before finding Mr. Right.

Kayte Garren from Big Ears Little Ears Rabbitry 'kissed' at least five different breeds before narrowing her choice. Kristen Drum from Keep's Rabbitry played with Hollands and Mini Lops before deciding she wanted a rabbit to brush. (She recently wrote an article related to finding your breed: http://keepsrabbitry.blogspot.com/2011/03/changing-breeds.html)

The fact is, you may have to try out a few breeds to help you really know what you want in a breed. It's truly a dating game.

Breeds to Holes Ratio - I find that magic number to be at least 20 holes per breed. This way, you have the space to grow out juniors, own at least two lines, and have plenty of choices when playing The Bachlorette in the rabbit barn. It simply doesn't work out if you plan on doing well with a trio and 5 holes. Especially with breeds that never finish growing out or breeds that easily squeeze out eleven babies.

Ryan Kish raises Holland Lops, Netherland Dwarfs, Mini Rex, English Lops, and Californians. Let me tell you, those breeds have taken off. Ryan and his family have committed a lot of time and effort into their project. Their secret, besides starting out with some stellar stock, is having enough space to manage it. With 100+ holes, though it takes a lot of time, there is plenty of room for each breed to blossom.

Time Commitment - You can't have Ryan Kish's or Lance Higbee's 100+ holes without considerable time commitment. I know a lot of casual rabbit breeders who have other focuses such as horses, sheep, or cattle. It's fine to have small rabbit project on the side. It's important to remember that to only take on what you have time for. The same goes for breeds. Not only will you have to take on the extra care of the rabbits, this also means more breeding records and pedigrees to shuffle through. Adding new breeds makes record keeping and planning more complicated.

A New Challenge - Some breeders who are becoming successful in rabbits begin seeking new challenges. Some people immediately take on a new breed. In many cases, it's a breed you've admired for a long time or maybe it's a breed similar to your established breed. Although it may sound like a fun idea at the time, some people regret the decision. Remember, a new breed adds to the time commitment and can remove the time you put into your original breed.

Susie Cederlof from Haute Wooly Coutre took on a new challenge: Tri and Harlequin woolies. A color project is a great way to start a new challenge without having to learn a new breed, or manage correcting type on a new animal. Instead of involving herself in a new breed, she took the leap to start a hefty color project. To that Susie, I wish you the best of luck.

Similar Breeds - Finally, I find it acceptable to raise many similar breeds. Take angora breeders for example, they often raise 4-5 different breeds (including German Angoras) Meat breeders can manage many different types of breeds including Californians, New Zealands, Satins, and Rex.

In reality, it's about finding your balance. If you choose to specialize in your breed so you can have the space for careful consideration of your rabbits, that's great. If you decide your 4th breed will be a trio of Satins as a learning experience, go for it! Just remember that you must plan and consider what you really want from a breed. Set a new goal, evaluate those juniors, and don't bite off more than you can chew.

Proposed Culling Procedure

If you've read my rabbitry resolutions for 2011, you know that I am developing a culling schedule or picking out the best juniors. After consideration, I've put together these steps. I will try them out soon to see if they're satisfying.

4 Weeks

-Pick out obvious DQs

-Remove obvious False Dwarfs

-Remove undesirable colors

-Make note of nicely balanced babies and kits with smooth hindquarters

8-10 Weeks

-Remove other False Dwarfs

-Check for mismatched toenails

-Evaluated width, depth, and roundness

5-6 Months

-Make Final decisions on body and color

-Look for developing block heads

-Try to stick with short ears

8-9 Months

-Evaluate coat (when in condition)

-Evaluate production capabilities

2011 Rabbitry Resolutions

I got the nifty idea from Keep's Rabbitry Blog to come up with some goals and resolutions for the upcoming year.

-Grand a homegrown pair - I've granded rabbits before. I've granded homegrowns, but I've never had a homegrown X a homegrown to breed that were both granded. My hopes are to grand two rabbits who haven't yet qualified, but it still counts if I only get a buck to go with Veyla.

-Keep all records and expense up to date - This one's going to be harder than the first. I have a good record system, it's just all about staying on top of it. I will start fresh with a new spreadsheet for my expenses.

-Develop Tan Pattern Program - I have a pair, sitting, waiting to be bred, but I have not had the space to do it yet. I always push one last doe in front of the pair. Nala is 8 months old and not going to wait much longer to get bred. I hope to get a couple of litters, sell my starter stock, and be breeding Tan Babies into my shaded stock (which is already developed body wise) by next fall.

-Set a culling Standard - My mom would always be in a rush to sell rabbits as soon as they're weaned. She had it in her mind that we can make our final decisions at this tender age. It's finally set in that we need to keep space to grow out 1-2 babies per litter. I hope to figure out a practice that works for me.

We'll check these back in a year!

~Gwen

How do you sell rabbits?

It's a question we get a lot. The answer is different for everybody. Some sell most of the overflow to pet stores. Others sell at shows. Some have connections with the meat market. But, is there a right way to sell rabbits? Here's how we do it.

1. First off, we think it's a good policy to not be desperate to sell an animal. If we are trying to sell a rabbit, we are still very content to hold onto it until we find a suitable home. Often times, desperate people pressure buyers into into taking the rabbit, which can result scaring the customer off.

2. (the following is for show or brood animals only) Our best success with selling is at shows. This is the time we see our fellow breeders who may be looking for new stock. We always take healthy sale rabbits to shows.

3. Once we've settle at the show, We place 'For Sale' signs on the coops and then we move on to our next show chore. There is no need to advertise. Those who are looking to buy will find you.

4. Don't be afraid to go into the faults on the sale animal. Every rabbit has a fault. Share with the prospective owner what judge's have said about the rabbit. If you tell it like it is, then the customer will not be disappointed in the future. This will give you a nice reputation.

5. Price according to the current trend. Is your breed selling? How much should you sell a granded rabbit for? Keep in mind what other breeders are selling for and stick close to that. Never terribly overprice or underprice an animal. If overpriced, it will never sell. If underpriced, you likely won't find a suitable breeder who wants it and you will loose the difference that you could have sold the rabbit for.

Rest in Peace ~ Treasure Valley's Amethyst

Even though it's been nearly two weeks, I think I should about him.

Treasure Valley's Amethyst AKA Bob AKA Dr. House was found dead the morning of July 9th. We have no idea what happened to him. We last saw him happy at around midnight when I fed them. The next morning he was stiff and looked like he'd been gone for quite sometime. He had eaten the apple treat from the night before, but he didn't touch his food or water. (the other rabbits got apples so there was nothing wrong with the fruit)

Common causes we have ruled out:

Heat Stoke - He died between 12 am - 9am it didn't get hotter than 60 degrees overnight

Wool Block - Normal poops and a good appetite indicate likely not a gut problem

Worms - Although he hadn't been wormed, he was of healthy weight and condition. Upon inspection, there were no worms in the feces either.

Enteritis - At least he had no outside signs of any tummy problems

Respiratory Problem - Clear lungs, no weepy eye, snot, or matted paws

It's possible he could have choked when he took a bite of pellets or had a heart attack (maybe he was startled by a the noise of a predator even though our barn is safe) maybe a spider bite. He might have picked something up in Ellensburg. Or maybe there was a symptom I just didn't catch.

Amethyst was my best shaded and my best homegrown buck. He was born in November out of Veyla and Sgt. Pepper. He had two junior legs. We hoped to grand him at his first senior show the day after he died. It's been very saddening to see such a promising, nationals bound rabbit go. Especially with no warning at all.

He will be dearly missed...

Beloved Amethyst

November 2010 - July 2010

Putting fun back into rabbits

With any club, group, or organization, there must be a strong leadership. A strong leadership keeps the group together and moving forward towards a purpose. In fact, an entire community would fall apart without a strong government or leader. But as with any group, a strong leadership can't fix everything...

No matter how strong, charismatic, trustworthy, or simply-great a leader is, problems will eventually stir up in the mix. Arguments happen, friendships break, grudges are held. A once close community is forced to take sides. Although there comes a point that there are so many unrelated difficulties, that there is no one to blame. No matter how strong, any club will experience these problems to some degree. It's healthy and normal. Without it, problems wouldn't get solved and small difficulties would grow into enormous catastrophes. It's only when the quarrels interfere with the purpose of the group that one needs to reassess the situation.

Lately, local rabbit clubs within Idaho have crossed that line. To prevent more problems, I will not go into specifics of the issues. The examples listed above may or may not reflect the things Idaho's clubs are experiencing.

Although the problem's we are experiencing are being dealt with one at a time, the gossip, scape-goating, and friction-in-general is still going strong. I haven't been involved in these groups for long so I do not know the details of long-time perhaps personal problems the cliques may have. I do know, though, that they are majorly affecting the goal of sharing a love of raising rabbits/cavies to have more fun with our hobby.

My request is that we all step back. What are we here for? Do we want to win? Collect sweepstakes points? Make money? I sure hope not.

There is nothing more great than a close relationship with animals and people who care about them. There is nothing more fun than eating at a restraunt with friends after a long show. There is nothing more fulfilling than watching a pair you sold to a first timer win. Rabbits should be all about sharing the fun with our closest friends.

Producing nice stock, winning state sweeps, or working for Best in Show should not be what comes first. Showing who's superior, gossiping on one's latest fallback, or complaining (again) should not be what come first. What comes first is the enjoyment of our hobby and having fun with it!

Sure, I'm only fourteen. Some people have tried to convince me that this is "adult business only" that "I don't understand" and maybe I don't. But is it wrong to think that if we go back to loving the sport and working together that the business side will mend on its own?

I know that many of the problems are serious and cannot easily be solved, but is it so hard to keep the drama out, and put the fun back into rabbits?

~Gwen